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UK leads calls to stem demand for rhino horn in Vietnam

A man inspects a rhino that has been killed by poachers. Photo: ITV News

Britain is leading calls for Vietnam and China to put in place policies to reduce the roaring demand for rhino and elephant ivory in the Far East.

Last year, at least 745 rhinos were killed by poachers in Africa - an increase of 43% on the previous year. Already this year, rhinos are being killed at a rate of one every 11 hours.

From Sunday onwards, signatories of CITES - the international group governing the trade of endangered species - will attempt to bring pressure on countries where demand is rife - namely Vietnam and China.

But the problem runs deeper than that: In order to stem the rampant demand for ivory on the black market, Chapman believes the government needs to debunk some of the myths about rhino horn in traditional medicine.

There is an urban myth in Vietnam about a politician who recovered from cancer by ingesting powdered rhino horn. Although the facts of the story are sketchy, and there is no clinical evidence to suggest it works, the tale has contributed to rhino horn becoming more valuable than gold.